Not dull: Kaepernick wins with his system

By Buck Harvey :
February 2, 2013
: Updated: February 3, 2013 2:07pm

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick puts on his helmet on Nov. 19, 2012, the day of his first NFL start.

Photo By photo courtesy of Kaepernick Fam

Kaepernick relaxing at home in Turlock with his 100-pound pet tortoise Sammy.

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Colin Kaepernick celebrates a touchdown with Alex Boone and Joe Staley during a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 30, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

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From his college days: Kaepernick of the Nevada Wolf Pack looks to pass against the UNLV Rebels in the third quarter of their game at Sam Boyd Stadium October 2, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Colin Kaepernick was congratulated by the Dolphins Cameron Wake at the end of the game. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins 27-13 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif. Sunday December 9, 2012.

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Quarterback Colin Kaepernick for a gain in the second quarter of the San Francisco 49ers game against the Chicago Bears at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday November 19, 2012.

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Little Colin's now-famous fourth grade essay in which he proclaimed he planned on someday playing for the San Francisco 49ers.

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San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) celebrates with coach Jim Harbaugh after a touchdown in the third quarter of the San Francisco 49ers game against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday January 12, 2013.

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Kaepernick in San Francisco: the college QB looks to pass the ball against Boston College during the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park on January 9, 2011 in San Francisco, California.

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Colin Kaepernick #10 of the Nevada Wolf Pack throws the ball against Boston College during the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park on January 9, 2011 in San Francisco, California.

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Kaepernick Kaepernicks after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter of the San Francisco 49ers game against the Green Bay Packers.

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Colin Kaepernick shows off his many tattoos at the 49ers practice facility.

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Kap's enormous back art.

Photo By JORDAN STEAD/SFC

Colin Kaepernick calls out to his teammates at the line of scrimmage during the first half of the Seahawks and 49ers game Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012, at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, WA.

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Frank Gore and Colin Kaepernick celebrate after scoring a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome on November 25, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Photo By Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick speaks at an NFL football media availability in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. The 49ers will face the Falcons in the NFC championship game on Sunday.

Kap walks off the field after defeating the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Candlestick Park.

Photo By Seth Perlman/Associated Press

Kaepernick tries to leap away from St. Louis Rams outside linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar and defensive end William Hayes, right, during the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012, in St. Louis.

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick stands on the sideline in Seattle.

Photo By Michael Short/Special to the Chronicle

More tattoos, mostly of the religious variety.

Photo By John Froschauer/Associated Press

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 23, 2012.

Photo By Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick and others gather for prayer following the San Francisco 49ers game against the Miami Dolphins at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday December 9, 2012.

Photo By Brant Ward/The Chronicle

Kaepernick runs in for a touchdown in the third quarter of the San Francisco 49ers game against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs at Candlestick.

Photo By Michael Macor/The Chronicle

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick runs in a touchdown in the first quarter of the San Francisco 49ers game against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday January 12, 2013.

Photo By Michael Macor/The Chronicle

Kap celebrates at the end of his first postseason start: a resounding victory over the Packers.

Photo By Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

Colin Kaepernick scrambles in the fourth quarter under pressure from Israel Idonije. The San Francisco 49ers played the Chicago Bears on November 19 and won 32-7.

And I believe the NFL needs to follow RG3, and eventually a kid from College Station who will be here someday, away from the traditional slog of slow, predictable quarterbacks.

And who can make all of that true?

His name is Colin Kaepernick, and his offense is The Pistol, and both will win today.

Kaepernick is a tattooed billboard of the future, and he's seemingly unbothered by the rising tension of the week. Saturday showed the same when the 49ers went to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to loosen up.

In front of 11 busloads of family, friends and loyal fans, Kaepernick was the crowd favorite. Jim Harbaugh watched the scene.

“I don't see any change, one way or the other,” Harbaugh told an NFL pool reporter. “He is who he is. He has been pretty steady with his demeanor.”

That will be critical today. No other quality — from his speed to his arm — means more than Kaepernick's composure.

But that's just it. Most question how someone so new to the game will hold up. After all, his second NFL start was in this city — in November.

So that's one reason the 49ers, while they are still favored in Vegas, have turned into an emotional underdog. Ray Lewis' leadership is another reason, and there's also a sense it is the Ravens' time.

“We are the team of destiny,” Ray Rice said, and most nod. The Ravens look like the Giants have before, a veteran group that slumped in the regular season only to find postseason chemistry on the road.

Convention, too, is on the Baltimore side. Pocket quarterbacks such as Flacco are the ones who win Super Bowls, and the staff at CBSSports.com certainly believes that.

Eight of nine predict the Ravens will win, and one said: “I will take a pocket passer all day long over a running quarterback. Read option? Not for my Super pick.”

NFL general managers have stuck with the same year after year. They feel comfortable with the status quo, with the conviction that running quarterbacks can't survive.

There hasn't been much of a sample size for an alternative, and Robert Griffin III provided an image after he limped off this season. After that, can a team depend upon a Griffin — or a Johnny Manziel — for long?

But Kaepernick has a chance to provide a stronger image, and he has a few things on his side. One is a defense that is better than the more famous one in Baltimore. Matt Millen, for example, has said the 49ers have the “best group of linebackers I've seen in the last 40 years.”

Then there's the offensive scheme, The Pistol, that both protects Kaepernick and gives him flexibility. Kaepernick doesn't run a veer option that requires a pitch, as Griffin does in Washington. It's instead a simple formation that offers multiple options.

When Green Bay played him one way, he set a record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in any game. When Atlanta played him another, he handed off and threw from the pocket.

It's a system that allowed Kaepernick to finish with the league's third-best QBR, behind only Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. And if the Ravens feel even better about destiny because of that — since they eliminated Manning and Brady — they've seen enough film to know. Kaepernick won't be as easy to find as Manning and Brady were.

If the Ravens beat him, then this will be about destiny and the traditional way of playing.

But if Kaepernick does what he's done in his nine other pro starts? If he wins, 31-30?

I believe today will be more entertaining because of that, as will the next decade of the NFL.